Saint Joseph Catholic Church

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The leaders of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon outlined four “major pastoral horizons” for 2026-2030 in the final message of the body’s sixth general assembly.

The four priorities are:

• “to proclaim the Gospel with an Amazonian face, promoting processes of inculturated formation and advancing in the adaptation of the liturgy in dialogue with the worldviews of the peoples”
• “to grow as a synodal Church, promoting the conversion of community practices, the recognition of the role of women, the protagonism of young people and the integral care of pastoral agents”
• “to live integral ecology, strengthening awareness and action in defense of the Common Home, especially on issues such as access to water and the formation of territorial leadership”
• “to encourage communion and sustainability, consolidating ecclesial ties, strengthening communication as a transversal axis and promoting formation processes and sustainable structures for the mission”

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, celebrated Mass at the Benedictine monastery in Subiaco on March 21, the anniversary of St. Benedict’s death in 547.

Today, “people think that life is fulfilled by acting alone, by making decisions autonomously,” Cardinal Semeraro preached. St. Benedict, in contrast, “shows another path: that of listening [to the Father], of welcoming, and of respect for the other.”

“It is there that something new is born; it is there that spiritual generation takes place,” the prelate continued. “It is only through obedience to God, in fact, that one generates spiritually.”

The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan called for an investigation into the death of Marqas Masih, 22, a Christian laborer whose death was ruled a suicide but whose body bore the marks of torture.

Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad joined the executive secretary of the National Commission for Justice and Peace in calling on authorities to “conduct a full investigation into the incident, bring the facts to light, and ensure that justice is delivered to this vulnerable community.”

In an interview published in the theological journal Communio, Cardinal Gerhard Müller defended the Second Vatican Council and strongly criticized the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) and its arguments for ordaining new bishops without the Pope’s approval.

Cardinal Müller, who served as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2012 to 2017, charged that the leaders of the SSPX wish to “convert the Church into their own conventicle.”

“Everyone brings schism upon themselves through the free decision not to recognize the Pope’s authority, either in theory or in practice,” he said. “Canonical disobedience is not made any better by asserting that one is not opposing the Pope, even if one claims one must consecrate bishops for the sake of the salvation of souls.”

Cardinal Müller added:

Jesus Christ promised the continuation of the Church until the end of history only to the universal Church, which he built upon the rock of Peter, to whom he also handed over the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and, together with the other Apostles, the power to bind and loose.

What God wants to say to the SSPX, in view of the advanced age of their two remaining bishops, is to turn away from the wrong path of distancing themselves from the Church and self-isolation amongst like-minded people, and to entrust themselves with confidence to the guidance of the Successor of Peter, to whom the Lord of the Church has personally entrusted the care of his flock.

Cardinal Müller also criticized bishops, priests, and theologians who “give the people stones of agnostic ideologies instead of giving the bread of the Word of God and the grace of the sacraments,” and who “dabble around in sociology and psychology and remain silent about Jesus as the only Savior of the world.”

Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II, who died on March 17 at the age of 93.

“Throughout his long life, Patriarch Ilia II was a devoted witness to faith in the Risen Christ,” Pope Leo wrote in a message to His Eminence Shio (Mujiri), the Georgian Orthodox Church’s temporary leader. “His ministry accompanied the Georgian people through difficult times and profound epochal change, lovingly preserving tradition and opening hearts and communities to hope.”

“I would also recall his deep passion for music, which is a stimulus to the search for the beauty of God and can unite peoples, bringing Churches closer together beyond cultural and theological differences,” Pope Leo added in his message, dated March 18 and released by the Vatican on March 23.